HE SAID NO.
EPISODE 45
(The Reunion??)
Amifel was just strolling out of the G-mobile Telecommunications, she had just met with their HR, who invited her over for an interview. They needed event planning services for their staff’s end of the year dinner.
She had been overjoyed since she got a call from them the previous day because their offer was a huge one, the biggest that she had gotten in recent times. She was hoping to get the deal.
By the time she got to the reception, she met 5 other event planners waiting for their turns to be interviewed.
She had never had to compete with other event planners for a role, must be classic.
She felt like she was not as competent as most of the event planners that were vying for the same post as her and she quickly did some binding and castings as she kept muttering under her breath that the job was hers.
As she made her way out of the corporate building, she heard someone call her name right outside the building,
“Daniel!”
“Hi!” he smiled as he appeared in front of her. He was corporately dressed in a blue shirt tucked into a black trouser, his hair was nicely trimmed and he looked stunning.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to find the right words to say.
“I actually came to see a client, you?”
“I came for an interview.” She smiled as she pointed towards the building that she came out from. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Could that mean that you are not happy to see me?”
“Of course, I am glad to see you!” That was an understatement.
He grinned widely, “What role are you vying for?”
“Events manager.”
“Oh, okay. ” he looked around for somewhere that they could sit. “Are you in a hurry? Could we hang out?”
“No, I was actually headed home…”
“Amifel!!!”
They turned towards the direction where the voice was calling from and coming towards them was a woman in native attire, her steps were a little too fast and uncoordinated.
“Mum!”
Amifel could not believe her eyes.
“Oko mi! What you are doing is not fair oh! Do you want to kill me, Ehn? “
Amifel looked on in wonder as she struggled to force out the right words, she had been planning to call her mom but she had been procrastinating. The drama that was about to be staged in front of her was evidently unavoidable.
“My daughter, even if I offended you, does that mean you can’t forgive me?”
“Mummy. Please stop. Not here, please.”
“Erhmm… Amifel, I’ll call you… “Daniel said, trying to excuse himself. “Mummy, erhmm… Bye ma.”
“Uncle please don’t go.” She pleaded as she got a hold of his right hand. “That is what she would say now but the moment you leave here, I won’t see her again.
Please help me beg her. She has left me for almost two months now and has refused to talk to me or her father, please help me beg her. “
Daniel was confused, he didn’t know where to come in.
“Please my daughter, you are the only one I have. There are no two of you, please. Forgive me. I promise that I will never disturb you about getting married again. Just forgive me. I was only being the mother that I am. Please.” She continued as she broke into a sob.
Daniel gawked at her mom and back at her. Amifel was embarrassed.
She felt like walking out on her but just stood still there like an invisible force was holding her legs in place. A few passersby strolled around them, shooting them questioning glances as they walked by.
She always wondered why some people usually wish that the ground would open up and swallow them… Now, she knew why.
Daniel reached out for her hands and squeezed them lightly as he begged her with his eyes.
“It’s okay mom and I am sorry too.” She did not want Daniel to see her as heartless because she wasn’t.
Her mom drew her closer for a hug as she cried some more. Amifel’s eyes were as dry as a hot iron but deep inside of her she was sobbing profusely.
Partly because she was embarrassed and partly because she missed her mom so much. Seemed more like mixed feelings.
Daniel bade them farewell after they tried to convince him to hang on with them. He promised to call her.
As soon as Daniel left, they went to a nearby eatery to talk things out, and the first thing that Amifel said as soon as they settled down was…
“How did you know I was here?”
“The most important thing is that I found you. What swallow would you prefer?” She asked, trying to change the subject of discussion.
She looked at her overjoyed mom and didn’t want to spoil their ‘reunion’.
“Amala is fine.” She said as she made to stand up.
“Don’t worry, just sit and wait for me. I will be right back.”
Mrs. Robert got back in a few minutes and she was accompanied by a waiter carrying a tray containing their orders.
She watched her mom as she unwrapped her pounded yam and dipped it in the ceramic bowl containing vegetable and assorted animal parts.
She noticed that her hair was freshly plaited and whitish hair strands were more pronounced. She felt bad all over again for abandoning her.
“How about Dad?”
“He is fine, he traveled after we spoke to Grace and he was sure that you were going.” She said as she swallowed a morsel of poundo before she continued. “He asks of you every time he calls.”
As they walked out of the restaurant, she asked to help her mom with her black handbag and she declined.
“I’m sorry for interrupting you and your client, hope I didn’t embarrass you?”
She chuckled. “Not really…” She continued as they walked on silently.
“I am sorry mom.” She said as she held her hands and squeezed them in hers.
“It is okay my daughter. I believe that God will bring your husband at the right time and about what I said earlier, I really meant it. My God will make everything beautiful in his perfect timing.”
Amifel was glad to hear those words coming from her mom, her staying away really did work some magic.
As they walked hand in hand towards her white car which was packed close to G-Mobile Telecommunications, she just hoped that her mom had not scattered the answers to her prayers by her dramatic display earlier on.
“It is also fine if you want to keep on staying with your friend. Just take care of yourselves and please call me.”
“I will mom,” Amifel said as she embraced her, this time a drop of tear slipped out of her eyes.
“Let me drop you off.” She smiled.
*************************
Amifel opened the door to the room she shared with Grace without knocking, she couldn’t wait to tell her how her day went.
She barged in and met Mike on his knees. Grace was there, trying to pull him up. Quietly, she took a few steps backward and dashed back outside to give them some alone time.
As she looked for a safe spot to sit outside, she could only hope that they would be able to settle their differences and get back together.
Meanwhile, how did her mom know that she was around G-mobile?
Daniel heard all the embarrassing details that her mom gave right in front of him.
What would Daniel be thinking of her now? He must probably think that she was heartless and unforgiving.
Whatever happened definitely ruined an impending r0mantic day and made a bad impression of her.
She just hoped that Daniel would understand but she would not be shocked if he never reaches out to her again.
************************
Mike was there on his knees, narrating his prison tale to her without leaving out any single detail. She had tried to convince him to get up but he requested that she let him remain in that position as she listened on with rapt attention without making any eye contact nor saying a word and that made Mike more nervous.
“I am sorry, my love. I didn’t intend to hurt you. I just wasn’t ready to…” he changed his mind as he remembered what his Grandma said about making excuses for your mistakes.
“I am sorry, Grace. Please forgive me.”
She was quiet.
“Please say something, please.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you were traveling?”
“I…I …” he stammered.
“I was worried sick, I asked everyone I knew about you, I even had to call Jude and he said he didn’t know where you were. Did you want to get me hospitalized or something?”
Mike was speechless, there he was begging her to forgive him for finding himself in prison and then keeping it away from her and she was accusing him of a different offense… That of abandoning her.
“You left without telling anyone your whereabouts and you gave me sleepless nights, didn’t you even care if I was worried, how do you expect me to be fine when I have not heard from you for 2 weeks, Mike! 2 whole weeks!”
“I am sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. You weren’t picking my calls nor returning my messages after you sent that break up text and I just had to go to my Grandma’s place before I did something stupid. I thought you did not want to speak to me.”
She looked away, it must have hurt her really bad.
“The network at Akoka was bad, I didn’t even know that my number was unavailable until I got back last night and I saw all of your messages and that of my friends…” He scratched his head as he struggled to explain himself. “I am sorry!”
She joined him on her knees as they hugged and sobbed at the same time.
“I am sorry for my initial outburst.” She started. “Pastor called me on Sunday and we spoke at length. He told me that you already spoke to him and he has told me everything.”
“It was not your fault, I was wrong to have kept it away from you. It was a detail that I did not like to associate with, it was something that I wanted to forget completely. People’s perception of me might change if they knew, and most importantly, I didn’t want to lose you.”
“I totally understand. I was also wrong to have judged you so quickly. Everyone deserves to be listened to and I failed at that point.
Moreover, you are born again. No matter how dirty your past has been, even if you were actually guilty of the offense, you have a new beginning in Christ Jesus, and if Jesus has forgiven you, just as he has forgiven me, who am I to hold onto your past.”
Mike looked at his wife to be and he knew was convinced more than ever that God had blessed him.
“Does that mean that you are not leaving me?”
“Not now, not ever. “
“I love you, Grace.”
“I love you too!”
To be continued…
Written by Sodamade Olamide Tolulope.
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